The current study investigated the incidence and patterns of sensory processing in a large sample of children (N=554) ages 3-10 with SM using a standardized measure, the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999). Results suggest that children with SM, as a whole, are similar to typically-developing individuals in most areas of sensory functioning. However, a substantial minority experience significant sensory difficulties in some specific areas.

More than 30% of children with SM were found to fall outside of the typical development range in emotional reactivity, the ability to use visual cues in the environment to relate to others, psychosocial coping strategies, and the ability to meet performance expectations. More than 20% of children with SM were found to fall outside of the typical development range in poor endurance, responsivity to auditory stimuli, responsivity to tactile stimuli, the ability to sustain a consistent level of performance, and the ability to modulate sensory input on emotional responses.

These results suggest that sensory processing and sensitivities should be regularly evaluated in children with SM, as difficulties in these areas may be present in a substantial minority of children. Sensory processing difficulties will have an impact on the development and treatment of SM.

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